Seoul shares turn higher on tech gains

Seoul shares turned higher late Wednesday morning, fueled by gains in technology stocks, including SK hynix. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) added 7.7 points, or 0.28 percent, to 2,782.09 as of 11:20 a.m. Overnight, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.76 percent, while the Nasdaq Composite and S and P 500 gained 1.26 percent and 0.39 percent, respectively, as megacap tech shares gained ground. In Seoul, major chipmaker SK hynix led the increase, jumping 4.22 percent, tracking AI chip giant Nvidia's gains. Leading battery maker LG Energy Solution rose 0.3 percent, and its smaller rival Samsung SDI advanced 0.81 percent. Top automaker went up 0.35 percent, and its smaller affiliate Kia rose 0.62 percent. IT shares also gained ground, with internet portal operator Naver up 0.9 percent, and Kakao, the operator of the country's top mobile messenger, up 1.34 percent. Tech behemoth Samsung Electronics lost 0.25 percent. The local currency was trading at 1,389.80 won against the U .S. dollar, down 2.3 won from the previous session's close. Source: Yonhap News Agency